FIFA proposes tougher sanctions on racism

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Zurich • FIFA is proposing tougher sanctions against teams whose players, officials or fans are found guilty of racist or discriminatory behavior.

Those punishments may include points deductions, expulsion from competitions or relegation.

The new FIFA Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination met for the first time Monday following several racial abuse cases in recent years.

The group proposes a two-stage warning, ranging from fines and matches behind closed doors for minor offenses to more severe punishments such as points deductions or relegation for repeat offenders or more serious offenses.

FIFA also wants to have an official at stadiums to identify acts of discrimination. It wants countries and clubs to implement sanctions "in a harmonized way."

The draft resolution will be presented at the FIFA Congress at the end of the month.